


the predicament

by moonhobi



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Seokkwan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-10 22:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13511364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonhobi/pseuds/moonhobi
Summary: Suddenly, Seungkwan burst into tears, feeling all the emotions burst out from his chest at once. He curled into himself into a defensive position. A sob wracked through his body as he brought his hands to his face, a ugly sound escaping his lips before a set of arms wrapped around him.“Why can’t I be attractive?!” He blurted out.- seokkwan, comfort fic





	the predicament

Some days, it was hard.

 

It was hard to be in a group with 12 other ridiculously attractive other members. There were days when he wished the comments about him weren’t just  _ “He’s so adorable!” _ or  _ “He’s so cute!” _ . Perhaps he was just being vain, (or an adult who craved a little attention), but he patiently waited for the day that people wouldn't just see him as cute, and instead see him as  _ hot  _ or  _ attractive.  _ He was an idol, wasn’t he? A small voice in him, twisted, angry and ugly would constantly hiss that he deserved more attention and love. 

 

Seungkwan stared at himself in the mirror, sighing for what felt like the umpteenth time, running a hand messily through his hair. His palms rested on the sink knobs in the bathroom that he had been seeking refuge in. Up until then, he didn’t notice the stream of tears that ran down his face. His eyes were a little red and his face looked puffy.

 

“Is anyone in there?” 

 

A loud knock on the bathroom door. 

 

Seungkwan momentarily froze, recognizing the voice easily. Seokmin. He began to panic, unsure of what he should say and his feet felt glued to the floor.

 

“Y-yeah!” He called out, wincing a little at how pathetic he sounded. 

 

“Seungkwan?”  _ Shit.  _ “Is everything alright?”

 

Seungkwan quickly wiped away the tears on his face with the back of his hand. He had to get out of the bathroom, but also make sure that Seokmin didn’t catch on to what he had been doing for the past 10 minutes. 

 

“Yeah, don’t worry about me!” A weak laugh followed his words as he quickly unlocked the door, preparing himself to sprint away from Seokmin and the bathroom. It wouldn’t be  _ that  _ hard, right? All he had to do was open the door and bolt away like his life depended on it. He would figure out something later if Seokmin decided to interrogate him.

 

But, he never made it outside the bathroom, as when he opened the door, he found himself face to face with Seokmin, trapped in the doorway. 

 

Seokmin had his signature sunny smile on his face, hand raised in greeting but it immediately faltered when he noticed the dried up tear stains on Seungkwan’s face. 

 

“Seungkwan - are you okay?” The sound of concern was evident in his voice, and Seungkwan felt the tears welling up again.  _ Dammit,  _ he just wanted to run back to his dorm room and cry in solitude. Opening his mouth to speak again, the words seemed lodged in his throat. Before he could notice again, another stream of tears was running down his face. Seokmin blinked owlishly, before raising a hand to cup Seungkwan’s face and wipe away one of the track of tears. “Seungkwan…” Normally he wouldn’t have allowed Seokmin’s hands to wander so close to his face, but all his brain functionality seemed to have shut down. 

 

Suddenly, Seungkwan burst into tears, feeling all the emotions burst out from his chest at once. He curled into himself into a defensive position. A sob wracked through his body as he brought his hands to his face, a ugly sound escaping his lips before a set of arms wrapped around him. 

 

“Why can’t I be attractive?!” He blurted out. 

 

He didn’t notice Seokmin’s eyes widening, filled with sorrow and pain. 

 

Seokmin gently pulled Seungkwan closer to him so that Seungkwan’s head rested against Seokmin’s chest. Warmth slowly radiated from the other person’s body, and Seungkwan could feel himself softly melting into the embrace. His posture began to recoil, and he relaxed a little. A hand came up, slowly carding through his hair and massaging his scalp.

 

“Seungkwan-ah, what do you mean?” Seokmin finally said

 

He felt his hands ball into fists as he angrily pouted, the tears seeming to never end. “Every time I see the comments about me, people always say I’m ‘ _ cute’  _ or ‘ _ adorable’. _ ” The words felt like venom on his heavy tongue. “I just, I just - why can’t people see me for anything else besides those two words?” 

 

Seokmin gaped a little, before his brows furrowed. “Seungkwan-ah, listen to me.” Both his hands were now cupping Seungkwan’s face, the pads of his thumbs still catching any stray trails of tears. “You’re ridiculously attractive, and I wish more people would notice that.” 

 

His voice was level and confident, a contrast to the normal bubbly tone he possessed. Seungkwan felt a surge of heat bloom across his face, ducking shyly a little. “I don’t know how anyone could see otherwise.” Seokmin continued, eyes filled with adoration for Seungkwan. 

 

“You’re so handsome.” The taller man smiled, eyes forming crescents and  _ there _ it was - Seokmin’s classic charming grin. Sometimes Seungkwan couldn’t comprehend why others didn’t see how attractive Seokmin was. Seokmin was so kind, so gentle - he was always there for Seungkwan and he knew just how to make the other man feel happier. 

 

“Seokmin-ah.” Seungkwan felt his heartbeat quicken. He looked up, face more relaxed as the tears stopped. “You’re beautiful too.” 

 

The other man stiffened, but quickly a shade of red blushed Seokmin’s high cheekbones. “W-what?” He stumbled with his words, hands still cupping Seungkwan’s face.

 

“Aigoo~do I have to repeat it again?” Seungkwan pouted, though a smile followed. “You’re also handsome and I  _ also  _ wish more people would recognize that.” He raised a hand to brush the pad of his thumb against Seokmin’s cheekbones, rubbing at the warm skin there. 

 

Embracing one another and enjoying the comfort they brought, Seungkwan felt a little drowsy in Seokmin’s arms, inhaling Seokmin’s clean smell that mixed well with his floral cologne. 

 

Suddenly, the two finally realized that they were still standing in the doorway of the bathroom. Seokmin realized why he had come to the bathroom in the first place. An awkward fumbling of limbs occurred, as Seokmin tried to escape the embrace, while Seungkwan tried to exit the bathroom. Awkward grins were exchanged.

 

Seungkwan felt a warmth blooming in his chest, and his previous worries seemed so far away. 

 

-

 

A few days later, Seungkwan found Seokmin inside the dorm, curled up into a feral position. A little confused, Seungkwan only realized that his friend was crying when he heard the beginning of muffled, choked sobs.   
  
"Seokmin-ah?" He felt a rush of déja vu. Hesitantly standing in the doorway of the practice room, Seungkwan shoved his hands into his pockets. The taller boy tensed before looking up from where he was crouched, sniffling and wiping away some of his tears. The fakest smile Seungkwan had ever seen was now displayed on Seokmin's (handsome) features.   
  
"Ah - Seungkwan, I'm fine. Don't worry about me!" His voice sounded weak and raspy, wrecked by the tears he had previously shed. His face was flushed and puffy, and patches of his hoodie were damp with tear stains.   
  
Seungkwan felt his heart plummet, distressed at seeing his friend in such a state, but equally upset that his friend didn't trust him enough to tell him what was actually going on. 

 

"Seokmin, don't lie to me. You don't look fine in the slightest." Seungkwan fought the urge to cry as well, he couldn't stand to see Seokmin like this.   
  
Seokmin's smile became sad, and he looked down at his feet. He mumbled a few words, but they were barely audible. Seungkwan made a noise, trying to piece together what Seokmin said.   
  
"I'm  _ ugly _ ." Seokmin repeated, though his voice was still only a hair’s breadth above a whisper.    
  
Seungkwan quickly rushed to Seokmin's side, tackling him to the ground in an embrace. Seokmin let out a grunt, surprised by the weight, but a warmth radiated from Seungkwan that made his heart feel more at ease. Finally, Seungkwan sat up, though his hands were still looped around Seokmin's waist. "I don't know what planet you're living on, but you’re hands down the most attractive guy I've laid my eyes upon." He lifted a hand up to wipe away some of Seokmin's tears, giving a soft smile. 

 

"Seokmin, you're naturally beautiful and just because you're not the mainstream definition of beautiful  _ doesn't make you any less handsome _ . In fact, it makes you more attractive and unique." Every word was enunciated, Seungkwan desperately trying to make a point. He softly carded at the hair that was at Seokmin's nape. "You're special."   
  
Seokmin's eyes widened, giving that owlish blink that Seungkwan had found so endearing. A new, fresh wave of tears began falling from Seokmin's eyes, but this time they weren't out of sorrow or dispair - they were out of happiness. "Are you sure?" His voice wavered.   
  
Seungkwan rolled his eyes, smiling. "I'd be lying if I said you were unattractive." He felt Seokmin’s arms wrap around his small waist, the other man now sitting up as he pressed his forehead to Seungkwan’s chest, sighing. 

 

“Sometimes it’s just so hard.” Seokmin mumbled. “All the beauty standards, all the expectations everyone has from you.”

 

“I love you.” Seungkwan suddenly blurted out, the words fumbling as he quickly covered his mouth. Instant regret and dread washed over him. Seokmin blinked in response again, but a hint of a shy smile quickly replaced his expression. “I mean -” He was at a loss for words and he was fairly sure he was angrily blushing now. “Augh, I just - Seokmin-”

 

He was cut off by a soft press of lips to his cheek. Seokmin laughed a little. “Yeah. Me too. I love you too.”  

**Author's Note:**

> a short one-shot.
> 
> basically this was just me ranting out my frustrations - i don't know why seokmin and seungkwan are so underrated, they're both incredibly talented, skilled and attractive men yet they seem to always get the short end of the stick in the seventeen fandom. please love and support seokmin and seungkwan! they have such a wonderful friendship and they always manage to put a smile on my face <3
> 
> ⇒ I'm on listography: my username is @moonhobi there! (I don't have a Twitter account).


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